


Only talk about a bruise

by robotwitch



Series: Once more for the ages [29]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 14:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18966721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotwitch/pseuds/robotwitch
Summary: Tess tracks down her partner after a long year apart.





	Only talk about a bruise

**Author's Note:**

> This is a crossover of Naughty Dog properties, an alternate universe where there is no Cordyceps Brain Infection outbreak and everyone lives. Both the Uncharted and The Last of Us characters are here and very much alive, (eventually) brought together through Cassie and Ellie's chance meeting at summer camp.

“I told you.  I’m looking for Joel M –”

“Tess?”

Joel’s cleaned up; trimmed his beard, tucked his shirt in, there’s still the faint scent of salt sweat from excursion, but he looks good.  Tess can only imagine what a frightful mess she must look; no wonder the woman at the desk won’t help her.

“Jesus Christ.  Where’ve you been?”  Back to the receptionist, “Thanks for no help at all.”

“Tess, what are you doing here?”

“What do you mean: what am I doing here?  I came to find out what happened to my partner and why Marlene nearly blew my head off when she laid eyes on me.”

Joel inhales sharply and rubs the back of his neck.

“What the fuck happened, Joel?”

“Not here,” he grabs her by the arm and pulls her past the receptionist with a wave.

He leads her to an empty office and locks the door before he lets go.  “Marlene lied.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The fungus.  She lied about what the Fireflies wanted it for.”

“And you backed out of _our_ deal for what?  Moral conscience?  Never seemed to bother you before that we’re shitty people, Joel.”

Joel swallows, but doesn’t flinch, “I backed out for Ellie’s sake.”

“The little girl?”

He nods.

“Jesus, Joel.  Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“I knew you wouldn’t understand –”

“Is that it?  Is that why you left me high and dry?”

“No.”

“Then why?  Why would you fuck me over like this?”

“Because for the first time in a long time, I could see something clearly,” Joel snaps.

Tess takes a step back and takes a harder look at her partner.  He’s cleaned up, for sure, but now she’s sees how haggard he is as well.  Like he hasn’t slept in months.

Quieter, “Ellie found out Marlene had been lying to her the whole time and I couldn’t walk away.  I can barely believe I let Marlene walk away.”

“You could’ve told me instead of up and fucking vanishing.  Am I still your fucking partner or not?”

His stone face cracks for the first time since their reunion with a chuckle, “Suppose I could’ve handled that better.”

Tess lets out a huff, “So what now?  Can’t very well rely on Marlene to set us up again –”

The door handle jiggles and someone muttering on the other side, before the door swings wide.  It shouldn’t surprise her to see him, but Tommy’s the last person she expected to interrupt them.

Tommy looks much how Tess remembers.  Getting a real job and getting hitched evidentially did not convince him to ditch the grunge look.

He glances between the two of them, “Tess.”

“Tommy.”

“I’m sorry.  I thought this was _my_ office.”

“Mind your own affairs, Tommy,” Joel growls.

“I was.  In _my_ office.”

“Look.  We needed a place to talk privately –”

“Heard that one before.”

“Tommy.  Please.”

“Okay,” Tommy rolls his eyes, “but only because you asked so nicely, Joel.  I suppose, we’ll be seeing you tonight, Tess.”

“Depends on how the rest of this conversation goes.”

Wisely, Tommy chooses not to comment, just shuts the door on his way out.

Tess crosses her arms, “Well?”

“Well what?”

“I’m still waiting to hear you plan to make up for the fact we have no means to start over.”

“I don’t, Tess.  This is it.  I’m done.”

Her mouth falls open, but no words come out.  He can’t mean that.  They had a good thing going.

Finally, she manages, “Why?”

For someone who’s never been much for words, he’s certainly got plenty of them now, “Because it’s finally time I do right by Sarah.  And because of Ellie.”

“Ellie?” she nearly forgot about the girl already.

She was supposed to be a means to an end – just cargo.  But apparently, not to Joel.

“She’s here with me.  I couldn’t just leave her.  Not after…”

He trails off, leaving Tess to wonder, “After what exactly?”

It’s his turn to open his mouth and for nothing to come out.

“You know what.  Forget it.  If you’re done with the smuggling life – that’s fine.  Just don’t claim it’s because of some kid –”

“I’m adopting her.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m adopting Ellie.  I need a clean slate to do that.”

Tess can’t believe what she’s hearing.

God, it’s not like she didn’t know what she was getting into when she hired Joel in the first place.  A father.  And a damn good one at that.  It was a long time before he let her meet Sarah, let alone mentioned her while they were working.  Their personal lives were just that – personal.

And then Tommy left.  And Sarah for college, not long after.  And then things weren’t so clear cut between business and personal anymore.

It’s been a while since Tess kicked herself for getting involved with Joel on a _personal_ level, but she might as well start again now.

Hell – not that Tess ever meant to be a chronic homewrecker.  Joel might be the first man she’s been with since high school that didn’t come with a wife or girlfriend, but he was the first to come with a kid.  And in a race between her and his daughter, she knew his daughter was gonna win out every time.  And now there will be two of them.

“So, what I am supposed to do?”

“Tess. You know me answering that is a trap.”

“We had something good going, Joel.  And you just want to give that up?”

Tess watches as Joel considers what she’s asking.  Whatever’s going on in his head, she’s sure this is a losing battle for her.

Joel shakes his head, “I can’t presume to tell you what to do, but I have to do this.  Ellie doesn’t have anyone else and I can’t let her go back into the system.”

Biting her lip, Tess _gets_ it.  Just like she _got_ why Joel didn’t want to take the job in the first place, and Joel had barely known Ellie five minutes then.  They’ve known each other a whole year now…

Whispering, “Damn you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Except she’s not damning him for adopting Ellie.

“No.  You’re right.  We can’t keep this up forever.”

“Alright.  Now I’m lost.  Are we still talking about smuggling or ourselves?”

Tess answers that by slamming him against the wall with a kiss.  His arms find their way around her waist quick enough, his hands cupping her ass, but her feet are still on the ground.

Pulling away just long enough to breath, “Damn you for turning me into an honest woman.”

“I don’t know if anyone could possibly –”

Tess swallows the rest of Joel’s sentence by pressing her mouth to his.  She wishes he would throw her over the desk already and take her; she’s fucking missed the feel of him, the taste, his everything…

But he barely manages to spin them around and pin her against the wall.  Even attempting to hook her legs around his hips is a waste, but he somehow still manages to make the effort worthwhile.

Breathing heavily into her collarbone, “I suppose that settles one question.”

“And which question was that?” Tess hums, intently focused on the feel of his neck beneath her fingertips.

Joel pulls back just far enough for Tess to see his raised brow and imply his meaning.

“Right.  Right.  Of course.”

“I know we’re not much for talking about our feelings, but if you want to stay –”

“Stay?  And then what?  Be your wife.  Sarah’s stepmother – Ellie’s?”

“I never figured you for the mothering type.  And I’ve had enough of wives.”

If there’s one thing Joel talked about even less than his daughter when they were partners, it was his ex-wife.  Tess can’t recall him ever even mentioning her name.

But if not to be his partner or his wife, why?  What possible reason could she have for staying here in the middle of nowhere with him and his adoptive daughter?

“Why then?”

The question gives Joel more pause than Tess realized she was willing to wait for.

“Never mind.  Forget I –”

“Come to Tommy and Maria’s tonight.  Ellie and I are staying there until we get our own place, but I think you’ll enjoy yourself.”

Tess eyes Joel shrewdly.  She’s never once enjoyed a family dinner in her life; she can’t imagine what would make this one any different, but she finds herself intrigued.

\----------

Joel thanks God for one thing: Sarah isn’t here.

Across the table, Tess keeps raising her brows in his direction as if to say, ‘Are you serious?’

And while Tommy and Maria are keen enough to ignore it, Ellie rolls her eyes at the pair of them.  She even pretends to gag into her dinner once or twice.

He shoots her a few glances, meaning ‘Cut it out’, but she either isn’t catching his drift or is deliberately ignoring him.  He has his suspicions that it’s more likely the latter than the former.

Joel catches her by the shoulder before she can disappear after dinner, “Think you could maybe tone it down – just a little?”

“I don’t know, Joel.  Think you can do us all a favor and just do it already before we all choke on the sexual tension, please?”

Joel tries to give her his best disappointed look, but Ellie just shrugs it off.

“You know I’m right.”

“You don’t have to make a production of things.”

Someone clears their throat behind them.  Joel whips his head around to see Tess with her arms folded.

His grip loosens and Ellie manages to escape without another word, Buckley on her heels.

Gaze meeting gaze, “I’m not sure how you expected that to convince me to stay.”

“Wanted you to meet Ellie again.”

Tess purses her lips, “Still not convinced.”

Truth be told, Joel’s not entirely sure either.

In Boston, he drew a hard line between his family and Tess.  Sarah came first, then Tommy; Joel wasn’t about to let his illegal work effect either of them.  And Tess respected that.

But then Tommy left, and things got more complicated, looking after Sarah on his own.  Tess kept her distance, but Joel needed an ear to bend about the woes of raising a teenage daughter on his own; when work was over, she would tell him what a hellion she was at that age and that compared to her, he had it easy with Sarah.

Then Sarah went to college and there was no more line to concern themselves with crossing.  He never planned it – never considered they might be becoming something more than partners.

It’s all he can think about now, even with the low clatter of Tommy and Maria cleaning up in the kitchen.

“Just get upstairs.”

“Lead the way, Texas.”

Tess has never been one to be swept off her feet, but Joel steals the smirk from her lips for his own and takes her by the hand.

They stumble backward into his room at the top of the stairs, the door barely shut as Tess goes for the buttons on his shirt.

“Woah.  Woah.  Wait a minute,” he catches her fingers before she gets too low.

“I’m done talking, Joel.  Do you want this or not?  Because you’re giving me mixed signals.”

“It’s just – it’s been a hell of a year.”

“Point being?”

“Meaning I might not be as agile as I was.”

Tess crooks a brow, “First time we had sex, you admitted you hadn’t been with anyone since your ex-wife, that didn’t exactly stop us then.  Why are you telling me this now?”

“Just setting expectations.”

“Would you just take me already?”

“Yes, ma’am.”  Her impatience reignites his eagerness, tearing off her shirt and pinning her to the bed.  He goes for her pants next then his.

His own shirt is still only half undone, but her hands find their way beneath it, running up his torso.  Light as her touch is, there’s a white flash of pain as she gets too close to the scar left by the iron rod.  Groaning, Joel rolls off Tess.

Tess jolts upright, yanking his shirt completely open.  She gets an eyeful of the wound as Joel clutches his side.

“Jesus, Joel,” her breath catches.  “A hell of a year – how are you even walking?”

Grimacing as the pain subsides, “You oughta see the other side.”

She’s not amused.  “What the hell happened?  Were you shot?”

“Impaled.”

“Jesus.”

“I tried to tell you.”

“Well, you should’ve just fucking told me.”

Tess falls backward on the bed beside him and Joel sighs; any chance they were going to have sex tonight completely dashed.

“Should’ve known something was off at the dam.”

They’re lying shoulder to shoulder, but he still has to crane his neck in order to get a good look at her, “How’s that?”

“You could barely hold me up against that wall.”

Joel snorts.  With all he’s managed to do since the incident, he didn’t think sex would cause him this much pain.  Hell, he didn’t think he’d be so ashamed of the scars until the moment arose.

But then, he didn’t expect Tess to show up out of the blue either.  He didn’t have to concern himself with scars or sex because she wasn’t around.

He would’ve had to confront her eventually, she’s right about that, but he hardly expected it to go like this.  He honestly thought it was gonna go much worse.

Joel watches as Tess twists her hair around her finger in frustration.  In their silence, they listen to the floorboards creek under Tommy and Maria’s feet, talking softly as they pass the door.

Distantly, Joel wonders where Ellie’s gotten off to, but Tess brings him right back.

“What are you staring at?”

Shaking his head, “Nothing.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“I’ve been told.”

Tess resumes twirling her hair, “You really threw a wrench in my plans, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” Joel exhales.

Though he never meant to, it’s practically habit by now.  They never meant to start sleeping together.  Never meant to mean anything to each other beyond business.  Yet here they are.

Joel reaches for her fidgeting hand, steadying it.  “I love you, that’s why you should stay.”

“That’s your big romantic gesture?”

Chuckling, “Guess so.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“I mean it though, Tess.  I love you and we’ll figure out the rest.”

“I won’t be Ellie’s stepmom.”

“I wouldn’t dare ask.”

Coyly, “Then I’ll think about it.”

It’s been a long time since Joel’s said those words aloud to anyone who wasn’t Sarah.  But this _feels_ right.  It feels like what he should have had with Christine, but somehow fuller, even if Tess didn’t say it back.

He’s almost glad she didn’t; it likely would’ve sounded cheap and forced if she had.  He’s willing to wait for her to mean it too.

Despite the pain, Joel musters the strength to lean over and kiss Tess deeply.  Pulling away, “Take all the time you need.”

“You know, there are _other_ ways for us to have fun tonight,” she grins mischievously.

“I swear, if I have to get sewn up again because you –”

Joel loses his train of thought as Tess’s mouth trails downwards.  Gentle is not a word Joel would’ve used to describe Tess, but there is a tenderness to her as she works her way around the still-healing wound.

Though Joel responds as best he can, Tess doesn’t much seem to mind he can’t fully reciprocate without straining himself.  He takes it as a sign she’ll get her payback once he’s recovered – that she’ll stay.

\----------

It isn’t a rude awakening, but when Joel stirs, Tess peeks through the darkness.  A thin line of moonlight illuminates him as he answers the soft rapping at the door.

He’s at least pulled on his underwear, but his back is still exposed.  He really wasn’t kidding how mangled and raw the wound is on the other side.  She wonders how and when during their year apart it happened; she wonders if that’s when he stopped checking in.

Groggily whispering, “Yeah?  I’m coming.  Thanks, Maria.”

The door clicks softly shut, and Joel starts to dig around for an undershirt.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Ellie.  She gets these nightmares…”

Tess recognizes the look of guilt across his face from years before.

“Of course.  Go.  Go,” she shoos him along.

There’s a flash of another sort of guilt as he looks back at her then disappears.

Tess falls back on the bed, a single word escaping through a sigh, “Fuck.”

This would’ve been so much easier if she hadn’t tracked him down.  They could’ve had a clean split; no emotions brought into it, just another business transaction.

But she did track him down, and maybe there was a reason for that.  And maybe Joel just figured it out first.  He’s always been the more romantic of them, even if he keeps it close to the cuff.

Still, even if it is true, and Tess isn’t about to admit it, she’s not sure she’s suited to domesticity.

Tommy and Maria’s home is nice, marriage is nice, but those have never been things she wanted for herself.  And despite, what Joel said, if they’re all living together, she’s gonna have to mind Ellie somewhat.

And what would she even do with herself?  She needs some sort of work, or she’ll go crazy.

There were times back in Boston she thought she’d lose her mind, but Joel always seemed to pull her back from the brink.  She doesn’t know what she would’ve done without him.

Tess groans, “Oh hell.”

Tearing off the blankets, Tess finds Joel’s discarded shirt and tugs it on.  She swims in it and misses a few of the buttons, but she’s covered enough to follow him down the hall.

She tiptoes up to the slightly ajar door and listens to Joel soothe Ellie, “It’s okay, kiddo.  You’re safe.”

Ellie’s tears calm to hiccups, before there’s a creak of mattress springs Joel steps into the hallway.  He’s stunned, coming face to face with Tess here, but closes the door before saying anything.

“What are you –?”

“I’m staying.  You’re my partner, we stick together.”

If he’s expecting her to say the other thing, he’s gonna have to wait a little while longer.  She’s not quite ready to admit that yet.


End file.
